Your next idea
is already on your drive.

1. 01

   Install and start your trial

   Download Sound Agent and Budgie Hub from your account. In Agent, open Preferences → License & Trial and sign in through Hub. Follow the prompts to start a 14-day trial or activate your purchase.

2. 02

   Choose a workspace

   Choose Instruments for installed instruments and presets, or Samples for audio files. Each mode has its own library and filters. Budgie Finder on the right can search either one, or both with All.

3. 03

   Prepare your library

   In Samples, click + next to AUDIO LIBRARY to add a sample folder. In Instruments, check the brand list. After installing instruments or adding presets, refresh or rescan in Preferences → Library.

4. 04

   Select and audition

   Select a result and press Space to play or pause. With Instrument Autoplay enabled, selecting a preset starts its audition. If a preview is unavailable, check whether that instrument supports live loading.

5. 05

   Bring it into your project

   Drag a sample result into a DAW audio track. For an instrument preset, load Budgie Instrument Link on the destination instrument track, open its window, then return to Agent and click Send to Link.

123456

1. 1
   Instruments / Samples：Switch workspaces. Switching does not convert instrument presets into audio files.
2. 2
   Brands & folders：Choose a brand at the upper left, then browse products and preset folders below.
3. 3
   Search & Basket：Search the library, or combine sources into your own exploration scope.
4. 4
   Categories & results：Choose an instrument family and subcategory. The center shows matching collections or presets.
5. 5
   Audition, Similar & random：The bottom strip shows the current selection, playback position and volume. Similar and the dice continue your exploration.
6. 6
   Replace / Send to Link：Send the current preset to a connected Link. Check its connection state and destination label.

At the upper right, the pin keeps the window on top, the assistant button toggles the right panel, and the gear opens Preferences. Drag the library/folder divider or sidebar edge to resize those areas.

1. 01

   Add a sample folder

   Switch to Samples, click + beside AUDIO LIBRARY and choose a folder. Allow Agent to read it, then wait for indexing. The library name and result count help confirm that it was added.

2. 02

   Check the folder scope

   Select All libraries first, then browse a root or folder. Folder stars are shortcuts to locations; they have a different scope from the favorites stars beside individual sounds.

3. 03

   Refresh new content

   Reindex the relevant sample library after adding audio files. For new instrument presets, use Preferences → Library → Refresh new sounds. For newly installed plug-ins, use Rescan plugins.

4. 04

   Handle custom install locations

   In Library, use Choose plugin folder and scan… for a custom plug-in install location. Advanced → Plugin preset folders shows detected preset locations and can reveal them in Finder.

After moving a drive, changing a resource path or disconnecting external storage, check that the original path is accessible. Reconnect and refresh the affected library rather than clearing all personal data to fix one missing path.

1. 01

   Choose a brand or All instruments

   Click a brand card on the left to narrow the source; All instruments returns to the complete library. Within a brand, cards may represent products, libraries or folders.

2. 02

   Browse products and categories

   Open a product to reach its presets. Families such as Keys, Synth, Bass, Drums and Strings expand into subcategories. Use those tags to narrow candidates. The back arrow navigates up; it does not delete resources.

3. 03

   Select a preset and check support

   Rows identify the preset, source and instrument tags. After selecting one, check the bottom status. Available previews can be auditioned; supported live instruments can be played. Identical names may still refer to different products or paths.

4. 04

   Explore from the current sound

   Star a sound to keep it, use Similar for related textures, or roll the dice within the current scope. When ready, send it to the connected Link.

Use the bottom play button or Space to control audition. Seek with the progress bar and set the audition level with VOL. Keep your monitoring level comfortable when comparing presets; preview loudness can differ between resources.

Some presets need time to load their instrument and samples. Wait for the loading state to finish instead of repeatedly sending. If a live host cannot open, verify the instrument in its own app or DAW first, then check scanning and supported formats.

Kontakt cache & UVI engine

123456

1. 1
   AUDIO LIBRARY / +：Add and select sample folders. All libraries covers the libraries you added.
2. 2
   BPM / GENRE：Browse by tempo or genre: two different starting points.
3. 3
   Tempo ranges & Exact BPM：Choose a range card, or enter an exact value with 0, ±5 or ±10 tolerance.
4. 4
   Key / One-Shots & Loops / Sort：Combine key, type and sort settings, and check that the scope is not too narrow.
5. 5
   Waveform & metadata：Results include name, tags, waveform, duration, key and BPM. Unknown data remains blank or a dash.
6. 6
   Audition & seeking：Play the selection, or click a waveform position to audition from there.

Reset filters clears the current search and filters. Resize result columns at their edges. For long names, widen the name column or sidebar instead of shrinking the entire interface.

1. 01

   Find and confirm the file

   Select and audition a Sample result, then check its name, duration and BPM. Use Reveal in Finder when you need to confirm the actual file location.

2. 02

   Drag into an audio track

   Drag the result row into a location that accepts audio in your DAW. Sample results in Finder can also be dragged out; Instrument results use Send to Link instead.

3. 03

   Fit it to the project

   After import, set the start, loop length and required time-stretch mode in your DAW. Agent’s BPM filter helps select material; it does not configure every host’s time stretching for you.

1234

1. 1
   Scope：Instruments, Samples and All choose the candidate types.
2. 2
   Description：Start with the instrument and texture, then add tempo or purpose.
3. 3
   Voice & search：Choose the voice language separately; Search my library starts the search.
4. 4
   Reference capture：Capture up to 15 seconds of system audio, or choose a reference file.

1. 01

   Choose the search scope

   Choose Instruments, Samples or All in the right panel. Finder normally follows the active workspace; selecting All lets it search both resource types.

2. 02

   Describe the sound, not only its name

   Try “warm electric piano with tape texture,” “90 BPM lo-fi drum loop,” or “short, dry, dark snare.” Combine instrument, texture, tempo and role, but begin with your two or three most important requirements.

3. 03

   Search and inspect the evidence

   Click Search my library or press Enter in the description field. Results show matching clues. Inspect details to distinguish user tags, official metadata, filenames, folder context and audio measurements.

4. 04

   Audition, refine or return to browsing

   Listen to a few results, then revise the description or scope. Back to library returns to ordinary browsing; Cancel search stops the active search. Clearing a reference and clearing text are separate actions.

Voice input

1. 01

   Choose a voice language

   Finder offers Chinese, English, Japanese, Korean, German, French, Spanish and Portuguese voice input. Choose the language you speak, rather than relying on the website language.

2. 02

   Speak and finish recognition

   Click Voice input and grant the microphone or speech permissions requested by the system. Click again to stop, then wait for recognition to finish. The description field is read-only during recognition to avoid conflicting edits.

3. 03

   Check the transcript

   Recognized text appears in the description field for searching. If Dictation is off or on-device speech is unavailable, use Open Keyboard settings to check the system configuration. You can always type the same description instead.

Reference files & system audio

Use a clean passage that represents the target texture. Vocals, drums, bass and reverb interact in a full mix. Reference matching does not separate every track or guarantee the original source file.

123

1. 1
   Reference：Verify the reference before comparing candidates.
2. 2
   Preparation & search progress：Library preparation and the current matching job are separate stages.
3. 3
   Cancel / Close：Cancelling computation and closing the window are different actions.

1. 01

   Prepare the Similar library

   Open Preferences → Library → Instrument Similar library and click Prepare / Resume. Use Refresh new instruments after adding instruments. Watch the status and progress; resources missing previews are reported separately.

2. 02

   Choose a useful reference

   Use the current preset or choose a file with Use audio file…. Very short, quiet or densely mixed references may not represent the quality you want to compare.

3. 03

   Search and audition candidates

   Click Find matches and wait for the search. Use each candidate’s play button to compare previews before selecting the preset. Autoplay controls automatic audition.

4. 04

   Refine by listening

   Change the reference or category and search again. Cancel stops the current computation; Close dismisses the panel. Scores rank candidates; they are not probabilities of being correct.

1. 01

   Set the scope first

   Begin with a brand, folder, instrument category or basket. A clear scope makes random choices more useful for the track.

2. 02

   Roll the dice and listen

   Click the dice, check the newly selected preset and source, then audition or play it with MIDI. Random selection and automatic audition are separate states; silence alone does not mean selection failed.

3. 03

   Keep promising discoveries

   Star a promising preset, or add its source to this track’s basket and keep exploring. Send to Link when ready so browsing does not unintentionally replace a sound already in use.

12

1. 1
   Drag a source card：Choose an instrument source for this track’s search scope.
2. 2
   Drop into Basket：Release over the highlighted Basket target.

1. 01

   Add a source

   Drag a supported card or folder to Basket in the search bar and release when the target highlights. Sample folder rows can be dragged in; their handles also support sibling reordering.

2. 02

   Browse within the basket

   Click Basket to browse the combined scope, then search or choose categories. Sample Basket is the union of its folder scopes; the audio remains in the original folders.

3. 03

   Edit the combination

   Use × on a mini-card to remove a source, or Clear to empty the basket. Duplicate sources do not need adding again. Removing a source does not delete its files.

Organize favorite entries into your own collection folders. Check whether you are editing Sample or Instrument favorites first; identical names do not necessarily identify the same resource.

1. 01

   Prepare the destination track

   Create or select a software/MIDI instrument track in a supported DAW and insert the appropriate Budgie Instrument Link instrument. Logic uses AU; other hosts use the supported AU or VST3 instrument format.

2. 02

   Open and select Link

   Open the destination Link window so Agent can identify the receiver. With multiple Links, verify the destination label carefully. A green running-DAW indicator alone does not establish a connected track.

3. 03

   Select the sound in Agent

   Select a supported Instrument preset and confirm it by previewing or playing. Check that the bottom connection state is available and still points to the intended track.

4. 04

   Send and wait for loading

   Click Send to Link and wait for Sending… to finish. The receiving Link shows the loaded instrument interface. A large sampled instrument may continue loading its samples.

5. 05

   Verify and save in the DAW

   Return to the DAW and play MIDI on the destination track. Verify the sound, output and selected preset, then save the project. Save a useful project state before replacing that sound later.

The top DAW buttons show running applications and the bound host; the bottom Link label identifies the receiver. These are related but different. If several DAWs are open, select the one you are working in, then open its destination Link.

If Link is missing after installation, restart the host or run its plug-in rescan. Look for the correct instrument format rather than an audio-effect slot.

Verify keyboard input in Agent

Open Preferences → MIDI and enable Enable MIDI keyboard in Agent. Choose a keyboard or All MIDI inputs under Input device. Play a note and check activity and connection status. The interface reports a previously selected device that is temporarily unavailable.

Avoid duplicate input when using focus routing

1. 01

   Keep the physical keyboard in Agent

   Select your physical keyboard in Agent. Follow the MIDI setup dialog to identify the Agent input port offered to your DAW.

2. 02

   Use the Agent input in the DAW

   Configure your host as below. Keeping a parallel direct physical-keyboard path can create doubled notes or simultaneous playback after focus changes.

3. 03

   Test both directions before finishing

   Play in the DAW, click Agent or its instrument window and play again, then return to the DAW. Confirm that only the intended destination sounds before marking the routing tested and finishing MIDI setup.

123

1. 1
   Section navigation：Library manages resources; Playback manages Kontakt cache and the UVI engine.
2. 2
   Refresh new sounds：Refresh sounds after adding presets to an installed instrument.
3. 3
   Rescan plugins：Rescan when adding a new plug-in.

Choosing an audio buffer

Smaller buffers usually reduce playing delay but increase CPU pressure; larger buffers suit heavy instruments and higher loads. The displayed buffer duration is calculated from frames and sample rate. Actual latency also depends on the instrument, device and host path. Device or buffer changes can briefly interrupt audio.

Calibration is not a routine rescan

Some instruments require locating their own PATCH, PRESETS, SEARCH or BROWSER controls. Plugin calibration opens the plug-in and saves positions relative to its window. Check it when that instrument’s browser fails or its version/layout changes; calibration is not library cleanup.

1. 01

   Inspect disk use

   Open Preferences → General → Disk space and click Refresh usage. Inspect Application, Data folder, Compressed sound features and Disposable data rather than the total alone.

2. 02

   Clean only disposable data

   Use Clean disposable data and wait for the result. The button may be unavailable when there is nothing disposable; this does not mean the library is damaged.

Library searching and audio analysis operate on local resources. Account sign-in, trials, device activation and cloud sync require a network connection. Voice input uses system services; on-device availability depends on the selected language and system prompts. Local audio analysis does not mean every product service works without a network.

The scope below matches the current product page. A full range describes the product-family scope; it does not remove version or preset-format checks. Browsing, previewing, live performance and Send to Link still depend on installation, format and licensing.

On this manual page, / focuses search and Escape clears or closes results. Contents links navigate only when clicked. Manual-page shortcuts are separate from shortcuts inside the application.

1. 01

   Download the installers

   Check the available release in your website account and follow the installers for Sound Agent, Link and Hub. Quit DAWs that use Link before installing it.

2. 02

   Sign in and register the product

   Sign in to Budgie Hub using the email used for purchase. Register purchases with the activation code in the payment email; start a trial from the product’s License & Trial page.

3. 03

   Refresh status and check devices

   Return to Agent and click Check activation again to confirm trial or paid status. When changing computers, manage old device slots in Hub or your account rather than purchasing the same product again.

For further help, contact hello@budgieaudio.com or use Software support on the website Contact page. Identify the failed stage: folders, preview, live loading, MIDI or Link receiving.